Busdriver Grabs Islands, Deerhoof Guests for New Album Jhelli Bean

Someone has to pay for that title.

Busdriver's Jhelli Bean, due June 9 on Anti, promises to be a deeply perplexing album for reasons that go way beyond the appalling title. For one thing, there's the L.A. speedster's rapping style, which is something like how Twista might sound after a six-month binge on off-brand candy and Anticon records. Then there's Busdriver's ongoing collaborative relationship with reliably elusive Islandsfrontman Nick Thorburn. Thorburn guests on Jhelli Bean, as do fellow L.A. rap quick-tongue weirdos Mikah 9 and Nocando and spazzed-out Deerhoof guitarist John Dietrich.

And finally, there's the way Busdriver, in a press release, describes the way he prepared to record the album: "A bulk of the songs were written on planes somehow. I listened to Sublime Frequencies records, Bollywood soundtracks, and electronic music rather than indie rock and rap. I was able to shed a good amount of self-awareness that way."

So: An album of erratic syllable-splay rap, influenced by staticy global-pop field recordings, written on airplanes, with the guy from Islands and a guy from Deerhoof guesting. Sounds confusing but fun.